Natalia M. Guzman-Perez

Founder and President

Natalia M. Guzman-Perez is Vice President and Manager at Banco Popular de Puerto Rico (“Popular”) and is in charge of Popular’s Community Development Financing efforts.  Since joining Popular in 2015, Mrs. Guzman-Perez has originated, underwritten, and closed over $100 million in multifamily loans, mostly in conjunction with 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (“LIHTC”) and other federal funds.  In 2015, Mrs. Guzman-Perez established Popular Community Capital, LLC–Popular’s first Community Development Entity (“CDE”), as certified by the US Treasury’s CDFI Fund–which was awarded $70 million in New Markets Tax Credits (“NMTC”) allocation in Popular’s first attempt to obtain the federal tax credits and an additional $50 million NMTC award in 2019.

Prior to working at Popular, she served as Senior Vice President at the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico, focused on tackling Puerto Rico’s fiscal and credit challenges. She has also worked as a Business Development Manager for CSA Group, an engineering and consulting firm, and as principal of GC Lion Partners, a real estate investment group.  

Mrs. Guzman-Perez began her career in investment banking at Popular Securities, underwriting deals, and advising clients in a wide range of transactions. These included real estate, public, corporate and structured finance, mergers & acquisition, and asset-backed transactions.  Throughout her career, she has worked in structuring, underwriting, and/or raising over $15 billion in capital.

Mrs. Guzman-Perez holds a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Tufts University and an M.S. in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.  She has volunteered as a board member and/or in an advisory role of various non-profit organizations such as Jóvenes de PR en Riesgo, Habitat for Humanity PR, and FIDEVI.

Carmen S. Melero

Vice President

Carmen S. Melero is currently the principal of Carmen S. Melero Advisors LLC. She began her career working as a research assistant for Reed, Torres, Beauchamp, and Marvel, Architects, Puerto Rico in 1968. She later served as a consultant on the Puerto Rico Planning Board from 1970-1973.

Mrs. Melero then moved her career to New York, participating in many important projects. She was the principal housing planner for the Department of Community Development from 1975-1979, Neighborhood Preservation Specialist for N.Y. State Department of State, Division of Local Government and Community Services from 1979-1981, Principal Analyst for the New York State Council on Housing and Community Development, Executive Chamber from 1981-1982, director of Upstate New York Regional Office, NY State Housing Finance Agency (HFA) from 1985-1989, and as Deputy Regional Director for the State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA) from 1982-1985. 

Mrs. Melero then moved back to Puerto Rico where she worked as the president of the Puerto Rico Housing Bank and Finance Agency from 1989-1992, consultant to the Multifamily Housing Finance and Development in San Juan from 1992-1995, and as vice president of the Multifamily Financing in Banco Popular de Puerto Rico from 1995-2019. 

All the while, Mrs. Melero has been an active member of the community, serving as a board member in a variety of notable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Producir Inc., a not for profit community development company, PR Bakers Association, One Stop Center, a corporate mission involved the creation of homeownership counseling centers throughout Puerto Rico targeting low and very low-income families, amongst many others. She has also served as a member of the board of directors at Baldwin school of Puerto Rico since 1991 and as an advisor to the PR Bank Association in the development of the Puerto Rico Housing and Human Development Trust since 2002. This trust is a private trust constituted in 2005 whose mission is the development of a financing mechanism for the development of housing for the homeless. Mrs. Melero provided financial design, technical and organizational support to the trust and currently continues her work as a pro-bono advisor to the Board of Trustees.

Mrs. Melero received a Faculty of Natural Sciences, Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964, and a masters of Urban Planning in 1970from the University of Puerto Rico. She then attended Syracuse University School of Architecture in 1975 where she completed coursework leading to a Bachelor of Architecture degree, thesis pending.

Ana Celia Pagés Lloréns

Treasurer

Ana Celia Pagés Lloréns has served over 30 years as President of Executive Homesearch and Realty Services, Inc. with the objective of fulfilling the fundamental needs of the population of Puerto Rico in having decent, clean, safe and affordable housing. Executive Homesearch actively manages a portfolio of thirty-three (33) properties, comprising more than 3,500 affordable housing rental units. Ms. Pagés Lloréns also has vast experience in real estate development ranging from planning and construction to occupation and management of the properties.

Using a multidisciplinary approach, Ms. Pagés Lloréns ensures that her staff is knowledgeable in all areas of affordable housing due to the intricacies of regulatory compliance of state and federal programs. As leaders in the affordable housing industry, Executive Homesearch is committed to being on the forefront, prepared to adapt to evolving governmental laws, programs, regulations, and any emergency situations.

As part of her pledge to find viable solutions to the housing demand, Ms. Pagés Lloréns offers consulting services and guidance to developers and investors interested in developing affordable housing projects in Puerto Rico through LIHTC and other federal programs.

Ms. Pagés Lloréns holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and studies leading to a Master of Finance from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico and is a Licensed Real Estate Broker. Moreover, Ms. Pagés Lloréns is a member of the National Leased Housing Association, P. R. Chamber of Commerce, P.R. Builders Association, Southeastern Affordable Housing Management Association (SAHMA), P.R. Board of Realtors, and the P.R. Renters Association.

Guillermo Franco

Secretary

Guillermo Franco is the founding Principal at Community Capital Link Corporation (“CCLC”), an organization dedicated to providing community and economic development advisory and support services to nonprofit organizations, businesses, and financial institutions. Through CCLC, Mr. Franco has advised Community Development Entities or CDEs and QALICBs/Businesses on a broad array of matters including underwriting, structuring, raising capital, and deployment of NMTCs into high-quality projects.

Mr. Franco was employed with The Richman Group until 2013 where he led the expansion of the new markets tax credit platform. Mr. Franco also worked with Citibank as a Director in its Community Capital Group and President of Citibank NMTC Corporation, Citi’s CDE. Before joining Citigroup, Mr. Franco was a Vice President in the Community Development Finance Group at Deutsche Bank where he managed economic development activities including the origination of loans and investments. 

Mr. Franco also worked at Bank of America in South Florida as Vice President in the Bank’s Community Development Group where his involvement ranged from the projects regarding the Miami Children’s Museum to affordable housing in St. Johns (“USVI”) for low-income individuals serving the hospitality industry. His banking career in community development began at JPMorgan Chase in the Real Estate Lending area of the Chase Community Development Corporation.  

Moreover, Mr. Franco has served on several, not for profit boards of directors and advisory committees including the Local Initiative Support Corporation’s Loan Advisory Committee, Bethex Federal Credit Union Board of Directors, Downtown Art Board of Directors, and the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation, (“MHIC”) a not for profit private lender and investor specializing in the financing of affordable housing and community development throughout Massachusetts and which has NMTC allocations consistently since inception of the NMTC program.

At University Neighborhood Housing Program (“UNHP”), a not for profit community development corporation, Mr. Franco worked for nearly 7 years as a Director of Program Development and Developer of affordable housing.

Jeff Berezdivin

Director

Jeff Berezdivin belongs to the Kress Group, a diversified family organization involved in a variety of business ventures. These include, but are not limited to, retail, sales and distributions, real-estate holdings, art collection, and hospitality. 

Retail: Kress Group operates Kress Stores of Puerto Rico, which were established in 1963 as one of the largest women apparel retailers on the island. 

Sales & Distribution: Seaworld LLC., based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is engaged in the import, wholesale, and distribution of fish, seafood, dairy, oriental, gourmet, and dry-food products. Seaworld services all major supermarkets and hotel chains on the island, a wide array of restaurants, as well as the US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, and other islands of the easter Caribbean.

Real Estate Holdings: The Kress Group has a wide array of commercial real estate holdings that include retail, office, warehouse, big-box spaces as well as parking lots. 

Art Collection: Espacio 1414 Art Gallery houses the Berezdivin collection, which was created from a special interest in contemporary art from Latin America as well as other international contemporary art. 

Hospitality: The Kress Group owns and manages two hotels in the San Juan Metropolitan area under the Holiday Inn Express and Comfort Inn flags. Furthermore, the Kress Group is currently developing a forty room short-term rental hotel in the Condado area of San Juan. 

Jeff Berezdivin served as president of the Shaare Zedeck Jewish Community Center of Puerto Rico. He received his education in private schools and then went on to acquire a Bachelor of Business Administration from Tulane University in 1993.

Enrique Nodarse Alonso

Director

Enrique Nodarse Alonso has served for 15 years as President of Blanco Enterprises, Inc. (BEI) and six affiliated companies, developing and managing projects with mixed funding sources, including Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, HUD Section 8, USDA’s Rural Development 515 and the HOME program.

Founded in 1969, BEI is a pioneer of affordable housing in Puerto Rico by partnering with federal programs for more than 50 years. BEI currently manages housing for 17 communities with over 2,000 low-income families in ten municipalities across Puerto Rico.

In 2019, Nodarse founded PR7 OZ Fund, an Opportunity Zone capital fund designated for investments in the revitalization of distressed areas. In 2020, the PR7 OZ Fund began the 2.4 million-dollar restoration of a 1929 building in the heart of Santurce, Puerto Rico.

In 2016, Nodarse founded Quanta Urban Developers and was awarded $14 million in LIHTC for the acquisition and rehabilitation of a 127-unit building in Caguas, Puerto Rico, a project that was completed and fully reoccupied in 12 months.

In the wake of Hurricane María in 2017, Quanta refocused its resources on resilient social housing that minimizes risks from natural occurrences. Quanta is rehabilitating and expanding a +250-unit apartment building in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.  The design of Casa Linda incorporates the installation of PV solar energy, rain collection, vegetable gardens, outdoor and indoor gyms, among other amenities.

A lifetime naturalist, mountain biker, and photographer, Nodarse has biked thousands of miles across the Peruvian Andes, the Azores Islands of Portugal, the Canadian Rockies, the Italian and Swiss Alps, and the Himalayas, Nepal. The resilient communities in these remote international locations Nodarse has chronicled with photographs have left a lasting influence in him.

Nodarse studied at the University of Florida and currently lives with his rescue dogs, Harvey and Mila, in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.